Portmeirion, Wales

Portmeirion is an Italianate-style village on the Dwyryd estuary in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, designed by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis and built between 1925 and 1976. Set on a wooded peninsula near Penrhyndeudraeth, it is a collection of pastel-coloured buildings, domes, colonnades and towers, with a central piazza and a landscaped garden, and was conceived as a showcase of sympathetic development in a natural setting. It is best known as the location of the 1960s television series The Prisoner, in which it stood as The Village. The village includes the Portmeirion Hotel, a number of self-catering cottages, shops selling Portmeirion pottery, cafes and a lighthouse folly. A woodland estate of about 70 acres surrounds the village, with the Gwyllt gardens, rhododendron walks and a Dogs' Cemetery. Walkers can follow a coastal path to Traeth Bach beach, where the tide exposes wide sands at low water. A visit takes three to four hours, and the village has an admission fee, with discounts for hotel guests. The best photographs are taken from the Piazza, with the Campanile as a backdrop, and from the Mermaid Walk looking toward the estuary at sunset. Crowds peak between 11:00 and 15:00 in July and August and on bank holidays, so arriving at opening or after 16:00 offers a quieter experience. The village is closed to the public after evening hours except for hotel guests, and tickets can be bought in advance. Parking is available on site, and some paths are steep.